Do you ever feel like you need a pick-me-up mid-afternoon? I know I usually do, especially after looking at a laptop all day! (Hey, some days there is not enough coffee to keep my eyes from falling!)
So, a friend of mine made these and I thought they were terrific! Here we go...
Ingredients
10 fresh dates, pit removed
1/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 extra thick rolled oats (like from Bob's Red Mill)
3 tbsp of Enjoy Life chocolate chips (they are vegan of course!)
1 tbsp of hemp hearts
1 tbsp of a plant based protein powder (like Your Super)
1/8 tsp of salt
3 tbsp of cacao powder
Method
If you cannot find fresh dates using dried, pitted dates is fine - just soak them in a bowl with some boiling water for about 10 minutes or until somewhat soft.
1. Place the dates in a food processor and pulse until they break into small pieces.
2. Add oats, peanut butter, chocolate chips, hemp seeds, protein powder, and salt and pulse to combine.
3. Add the cacao powder and pulse to combine.
4. Here you may need to add a bit more peanut butter - if the mixture cannot stick together add a tablespoon or two of peanut butter to the mix and pulse again.
5. Now, get rolling. Take about a tablespoon of the mixture and roll them in your hands to form a ball.
6. Depending on how large or small, you should get about 12-14 energy balls. Refrigerate and enjoy!
They are yummy and a good healthy snack. I didn't know they had dates in them though! ;-)